Top 10: 2007 Super Bowl Story Lines

Number 7

Dungy gets over the hump

Tony Dungy spent three unspectacular years in the NFL as a player, but his tenure as a coach spans three decades and he has coached the Steelers, Chiefs, Vikings, Buccaneers, and Colts. With the Steelers, he was a part of the Steel Curtain; with the Vikings, Dennis Green and company fell just short; and with the Bucs it was the same story. At no point during his career as an NFL coach did he reach football's biggest stage. Then, just after leaving the Bucs, Jon Gruden took over the team and brought home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. As the Colts’ head coach, he and his staff have routinely blazed a trail through the regular season, only to fizzle when the play-offs arrived — until 2006-'07. Tony's attention to detail, especially on defense, finally paid off and brought him to the Super Bowl.

Number 6

The Monsters of the Midway back to the top

The last time the Chicago Bears ventured to the NFL’s summit was in 1986. Since Da Bears did their Super Bowl Shuffle to the chagrin of football purists everywhere, they have been on a roller-coaster ride of wins, losses and heartbreak. Through the late ‘80s, they were a good — but not great — team under the direction of Ditka and they couldn’t get back to the team that they once were because of injuries and age. The ‘90s were nothing short of abysmal for the former Decatur Staleys, as they amassed only two play-off wins. In 2001, under Dick Jauron, they went 13-3 and looked unstoppable until they lost at home to the Eagles. In 2005, they earned another NFC North crown before they made another early exit at home against the Panthers. The prevailing feeling was that 2006 was no different, but Brian Urlacher and the forceful Bears defense proved everyone wrong by defeating the NFC Champion Seahawks and the Saints, 2006's "America's Team."

Number 5

Lovie sticks to his guns

As far back as preseason, many NFL pundits were ready for Coach Smith to give Rex Grossman, due to his inconsistency and inexperience, the heave-ho in favor of Brian Griese. Most analysts felt that Griese, a seasoned starter, would be the only way for the Bears to get to the Super Bowl. Grossman hit the ground running, but started to show his immaturity mid-season. As the pressure mounted, Griese began to receive half of the starter snaps during practice, but Smith never pulled the trigger. Instead, he allowed his young QB to grow — and it paid off big time. Rex didn't have to be spectacular, just smart.

Number 4

Undefeateds provide foreshadowing

Around mid-season, the NFL had two teams that were undefeated. Not coincidentally, these same two teams will be battling each other in Super Bowl XLI. The Colts started 9-0, winning several close games and showing excellent balance between their famous offense and their small-but-quick underrated defense. This kind of resolve almost always pays off in the postseason. The Bears began their season 7-0, but winning in a markedly different way — they were pummeling their opponents. Grossman resembled Dan Fouts circa 1982, and the defense — led by Urlacher, Tommie Harris and Mike Brown — was scoring almost as often as the offense. Both teams hit a mid-to-late season lull, but got back to their roots in the play-offs.